Review
Who is this guy and what has he done with Devin Townsend?
Epicloud is a mess. Starting with a Therion-type chorale and dipping so low as to approximate a female singer a la Blackmore’s Night, there are moments on this mess that reek of a campfire singalong or the whoosh of a carnivalesque vacuum of sound that’s loud but there’s nothing there. Then there’s the quiet moments where whoever this guy is goes for an Art Garfunkel simplicity but simply doesn’t have the vocal chops to do so. Then that annoying female singer comes back in a dirge. Then a spiraling chorale again … ugh. This has to be the most confounding and unlistenable mess any self-respecting metal musician ever recorded. I fully understand the concept of attempting to marry metal with melodic rock but this simply doesn’t work.
Back to the drawing board, whoever you are… and please release the real Devin Townsend from wherever you’re hiding him. Are you waiting for a ransom?
Label: InsideOut (Audio CD format here)
I have to say, despite being a Townsend fan to the core, this review could not be more spot on. what a complete and total train wreck. So bummed. He’s pulling an Akerfeldt and letting his ego take control of his creativity.
Seeing as this album is a change from his other works, I can understand that long-time fans would be disappointed. But saying this album is a mess… Eh, no, I really don’t think so. It just doesn’t seem to be what you wanted/within the boundaries of your taste. It is still high quality music.